Dorothy Santos + Sebastian Alvarez: World of Tomorrow

A screening of Don Hertzfeldt's award-winning short film

In conjunction with the Sooner or Later exhibition on view at SoEx, Radical Art Theory Nights presents a screening of World of Tomorrow (2015), directed by Don Hertzfeldt, a short film where after a mysterious phone call a young girl is taken on a mind-bending tour of her distant future.

We invite the community to watch this 16-minute short and to share their impressions, thoughts, and questions in an open conversation with curator Dorothy Santos and artist Sebastian Alvarez. Their experience as educators and communicators will enable dialogue about the symbols and themes touched on in the film, especially in relation to notions of futurity, memory, and time travel as explored in the exhibition Sooner or Later.

Dorothy R. Santos is a Filipina-American writer, editor, curator, and educator whose research interests include new media and digital art, activism, artificial intelligence, and biotechnology. Born and raised in San Francisco, California, she holds Bachelor’s degrees in Philosophy and Psychology from the University of San Francisco, and received her Master’s degree in Visual and Critical Studies at the California College of the Arts.

Born and raised in Lima, Peru, Sebastian Alvarez is a Bay Area-based transdisciplinary artist. His personal practice and collaborative projects highlight the interrelation of disparate infrastructures and the uncanniness of human-made systems. Alvarez's research-based work manifests in the form of still and moving allegorical images, video, infographics, performative lectures, sonic compositions, and walks. He is a member of an artist collective facilitating workshops and performances at San Quentin State Prison that collaborates with incarcerated artists to explore their own personal journeys, as well as systemic issues of inequality, violence, and incarceration.

Radical Art Theory Nights are conversations about art theory, art history, or research-based art practices that reflect on narratives of the historically marginalized. Visiting writers, curators, and artists contend with both current and canonized concerns, critically engage with texts, and lead open community discussions.